Surface Temperature

The sea temperature data that your class took on the boat is called a surface temperature reading. Do you remember looking at the temperature gauge on the mast of the boat? The temperature gauge is connected to a thermometer at the bottom of the boat, just under the surface of the water.

The Monterey Bay is in a temperate zone; it is an area of the earth mid-way between tropical and cold temperatures.

The temperate zone is a very comfortable place for plants and animals to live. Due to the Monterey Bay’s geographic location, there is a wide variety of animals living in and migrating through it, like the California Gray Whale.